Sunday 13th February, my first ever tree sparrow and in my garden. I knew there were tree sparrows in some village gardens because a Fife countryside ranger told me. But here it was 5 metres from my kitchen window, not only that but I caught a glimpse of what I considered was a brambling feeding on the sunflower seeds with the fighting greenfinches and not so rowdy chaffinches. I waited for a reappearance of the tree sparrow after pointing it out to my wife, who spends much more time than I looking out the window ! This gave me time to give a positive ID to the flirty lone brambling. I had filled up the feeders and fat ball holders before I ventured forth with my bus pass to Edinburgh to watch the rugby on Saturday, a long day with a 5.00 pm kick off but very enjoyable apart from the game, Scotland never turned up and were rightly booed off the pitch. Turned out there were three of the four at the table into birds so the long beery lunch was very birdy and most enjoyable. The lunch was in "the city fishers" in Thistle street, think I have the name right. Specialises in seafood served amongst the higher earners in Edinburgh, thank you DAL glad I didn't have to pickup that bill. Bus pass works, as do other means of boarding, like cash and text messages, text messages! How does that work? A couple of young folk boarded in Perth with " I don't have a ticket, but here is a text message on my phone" driver looks at it and says OK. Immediately I think surely that's subject to a scam? I have not been on a bus for so long I can't remember, two decades? anyway¬† It was a pleasurable experience, tinged with the anxiety of the speculated unknown, which bus? which bay? will I get there on time? what happens if two buses are both touting Edinburgh? as they were. Well just ask the person next to you, public travelling is public interaction, something I learned (again?) this weekend.
Haw! wheres this bus gawing?¬† You will receive an answer, perhaps not printable.